Turns out, Thompson knew about Schiavo only too well

As often seems to happen in the public chaos of major political campaigns, it turns out there's much more to that apparent Fred Thompson memory loss story from a couple of weeks ago.

You may remember that the closely watched newest Republican candidate was asked about that highly controversial Terri Schiavo right-to-die case in which the husband of a Florida woman in a persistent vegetative state wanted to remove her chemical feeding tube, but her parents went to court and then politicians from Gov. Jeb Bush and Congress got into the struggle two years ago.

When Thompson was asked about it recently, he said he didn't really recall much, and some people clucked and said, how could he not? Well, Thompson was talking with some reporters today and, it turns out, he remembers it too well. He just didn't want to talk about it because, like a growing number of Americans, he'd gone through a similar end-of-life decision regarding his daughter several years ago.

It probably should not be surprising that a society that cannot agree on when life begins also has yet to fully agree on when life can end. Very few cases reach the courts like Schiavo's and become...

political cause celebres. Most are handled quietly among family members and doctors.

“I know this is bandied about as a political issue," Thompson said to the Associated Press today, "and people want to make it such and talk about it in the public marketplace a lot. I am a little bit uncomfortable about that because it’s an intensely personal thing. These things need to be decided by the family, and I was at that bedside, and I had to make those decisions with the rest of my family.”

Thompson's 38-year-old daughter, Elizabeth Betsy Thompson, who had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, died in 2002 of an accidental drug overdose six days after being admitted to the hospital unconscious. Thompson's remarks indicated she had been put on life support systems. His campaign declined to discuss the case further, saying it was too personal and painful.

But the facts are such cases are also very common. The American Hospital Assn. has estimated that about 75% of hospital deaths in America these days are somehow negotiated. That is, someone is seriously injured or ill. Given the advance of medical technology--the automatic breathing machines that even program in regular sighs, the chemical slurries for nutrition, other drugs and machines--the body can be kept functioning, even though the brain may be dead or the prognosis for a return to cognizant life is virtually nil.

Typically, over the course of several days, some treatments are attempted while the doctor and family members discuss the future. Many times they reach the conclusion that the technology is actually prolonging the dying, not the life. A "do not resuscitate" order is signed, and if the heart stops, no measures are attempted to restart it.

Thompson said that as far as he was concerned, "It should be decided by families. The federal government and the state government, too--except for the court system--ought to stay out of it."

Then he added, “I will assure you one thing: No matter which decision you make, you will never know whether or not you made exactly the right decision. So making this into a political football is something that I don’t welcome. And this will probably be the last time I ever address it.”

And in that too, Thompson is like millions of Americans.

--Andrew Malcolm

Comments

[Winghunter]

You're being FAR too kind to the agenda driven MSM and pundits with a plan Andrew.

They ALL went over Fred's records with a fine tooth comb and his daughters tragic death was reported in place of the negative ammunition they desperately searched for but, empty-handedly returned without.

On September 14th Fred answered the question, "I can't pass judgment on it. I know that good people were doing what they thought was best," Thompson said in Florida when asked about the case. "That's going back in history. I don't remember the details of it."

SO, lets talk about memory for a second;

It hadn't been but a couple of months when they descended on his store of records until Fred's comment on the Schiavo case...yet, NONE of them remembered he had been through the same type of ordeal...They were too busy pointing their crooked fingers.

This story is now a definition of journalistic assassination. It is a testament of complete irresponsible and inept reporting and political pandering.

[Alexandra]

Excuse me, this was not a "right-to-die" case. It was a "right-to-MURDER" case. How hard is this to comprehend?

[Bill]

The Schiavo case was solely about the right to refuse medical treatment

(Florida case law defined feeding tubes as medcal treatment by 1990 - see "In re: Guardianship of Browning")

Remember, her parents and siblings said in court even if they knew beyond a doubt she wished to stop tube feeding they would ignore her wishes.

In response to questioning, they also admitted they would go to any lengths to keep her alive, even if that required amputating her limbs one by one.

All the above was their sworn testimony, well before the case ever broke nationally (from in the final guardian ad litem's report)

[kadams]

"he'd gone through a similar end-of-life decision regarding his daughter several years ago."

Terri Schiavo's family was NOT facing an "end of life" decision!! She was NOT terminally ill.

The Schiavo decision determined held that providing food and water are medical treatment and can be with held to initiate death.

Mrs. Schiavo had no illness that precipitated her death.

Disability is now a reason to with hold food and water. Those who are able and communicate effectively are in the position to decide if a person would "really want to live like that" or if that disabled person would really rather be starved and dehydrated to death.